Formula One car development blog

Similar to Honda's totally different strategy, Renault had to do something very different to get back on form. The French team have gotten rid of their V-keel and instead designed a low nose that allowed the team to hold on to their almost horizontal frontal wishbones. As a comparison, the RA108 is on top with the R28 on the bottom. It is clear that the nose of the Renault is substantially longer and also lower between the front wheels. Metric markings are added, using the Renault f... Read more

Contrary to their philosophy of recent years to lower the nose bit by bit, Honda have taken a totally different road with the RA108. As the 2007 car had much aerodynamic problems and was difficult to extract front downforce, the team have freed up the frontal area to improve front wing efficiency. A higher nose is generally the better option for wing efficiency as it aims not to interfere with the wing's airflow. It must be said that, for a first time really high nose, Honda did a g... Read more

Honda's new team principal Ross Brawn has clearly had his influence in the newest Honda. The knowledge he gathered at Ferrari particularly shows in the sidepod area. Marked in the image are the cut upper edge of the barge boards. Behind the bargeboard and also pointed out is the strong and simple leading edge at the bottom of the sidepod. Honda is however not following the outboard mirror style which appears not to be very favourable due to the higher edges of the cockpits. The RA10... Read more

One peculiar thing on the new RA108 is without a doubt the mounting points of the camera hubs. Various teams have experimented with their position but Honda added a thick connection aerofoil to reduce the aerodynamic impact close to the nose cone. Other than that, the new concept of Honda shows with a completely redesigned front suspension. The thick root of the frontal upper wishbone effectively shortens the movable part of the arm. Also note that a horizontal splitter was added in... Read more

Williams' new FW30 is a particular example for some trends that have been set over the winter. At first there is the attention that was paid to the sidepod panels. After their introduction in 2006 the designs have evolved greatly. The newest Williams iteration is very similar to the McLaren MP4-22 as it is one with the (closed) chimney and has a slit in the main panel itself. More rearward the flipup is rather conventional but shows similar thinking to rival teams. The flipup is now... Read more

The front area is something that was studied very carefully, and apparently the aerodynamicsts must have learnt quite a bit from the recent McLarens. The nose cone in particular is very much alike the MP4-21 of 2005. It has a similar height, thickness and width. The front wing is a little more in line with BMW's last designs but still is a three element wing hung up on the second one, typical designs of a McLaren. Even more, since the MP4-18 every McLaren has its front wing extend a... Read more

Although it might take a second look to see it, the new BMW Sauber has been developed intensively over the winter. Most of the work has gone into the sidepods which now appear to be a step ahead to Ferrari and McLaren. The rear end is so small and low that there was no choice but to lengthen the root of the flipups to be able to attach them to the chassis. The void that was created beneath the flipups is also handily used to add a couple of small winglets. It is however surprising t... Read more

BMW Sauber's new F1.08 does not sport anything revolutionary, but the development has taken a huge leap over the winter. The sidepods have been the main focus of attention. The image clarifies the aerodynamics around and inside the sidepod by yellow flowlines. First of all, the undercut has been deepened to allow more air to flow smoothly around the pod and onto the diffuser and rear wing (1). The same goes for the airflow over the sidepod (3). Intelligent placing of the cooler in t... Read more

Despite late season efforts to improve the front wing by developing nose-attached upper elements, Toyota have opted to go the other way around and turn to a bridge wing that swoops over a lower nose. In fact Toyota cars have never had such a low nose at their launches. As marked in the image, it is vital to know that the wing is downforce neutral in the centre and there only acts as a stabiliser. Also marked is the thick main plate of the front wing, constructed so that it can carry... Read more

Toyota have visibly learned a lot from Renault's R27, especially in the sidepod area. Similar to the R27, the mirrors are now also attached to the sidepod shields, albeit a little more detached from the air-guiding panel (1). In fact they have also taken measures not to be warned by the FIA for too vibrant mirrors. While Renault had to add a small strut, the TF108 has its sidepod panel attached with two firm carbon fibre connections (2). Additionally, the rear wheel flipup has exten... Read more